Assyrian law, also known as the Middle Assyrian Laws (MAL) or the Code of the Assyrians, was an ancient legal code developed between 1450 and 1250 BCE in the Middle Assyrian Empire. It was very similar to Sumerian and Babylonian law, although the penalties for offenses were generally more brutal. The first copy of the code to come to light, dated to the reign of Tiglath-Pileser I (r. 1114–1076 BCE), was discovered in the course of excavations by the German Oriental Society (1903–1914). Three Assyrian law collections have been found to date. Punishments such as the cropping of ears and noses was common, as it was in the Code of Hammurabi, which was composed several centuries earlier. Murder was punished by the family being allowed to decide the death penalty for the murderer.

Conjectural laws

The laws listed below are excerpts from the Code of the Assyrians. The list is incomplete due to some parts of the code being untranslatable or irrecoverable. The vast majority of the listed rules deal with sexual relations/encounters between men and women such as rape, and adultery. But some of the rules are concerned with divorce and domestic abuse. Much of Assyrian law revolves around lust, sexual intercourse, marriage, and pregnancy.